Français
Español
English
Portuguese
Eighty-four boxes of paint, markers, and other art supplies were delivered to help the children process their grief through art therapy.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
In a show of interfaith solidarity, Jerusalem Christians delivered art supplies and games to the children of the Druze community of Majdal Shams.
The Golan town is still reeling from the loss of 12 children killed when a missile fired by Hezbollah struck a soccer field where they were playing.
Another 42 were injured.
“We wanted to take a part to support those children and to show that also that Christian community standing beside the Druze community are feeling the same horrible feelings that they also feel,” Christian activist Elias Zarina told The Press Service of Israel.
Zarina is the co-founder and community manager of the Jerusalemite Initiative, a Jerusalem-based non-profit that encourages Arab Christian integration into Israeli society.
Eighty-four boxes of paint, markers, and other art supplies were delivered to help the children process their grief through art therapy, Zarina told TPS-IL.
The boxes also included various games.
The mood in Majdal Shams, he said, is still sadness and shock.
“Basically, you feel that everything is under a black color. Everyone is at a big condolence tent,” Zarina said.
“They are surprised also that they’ve been hit by Hezbollah. They never thought about it even or imagined it. The older generation there, they still have the same mind that they belong to Syria. And they still have a kind of Syrian nationality. You can still feel it.”
Hezbollah’s rocket strike has cast a spotlight on the Golan Druze community.
The younger generation has been quietly integrating into Israeli society, a trend that accelerated with the Syrian Civil War.
The Druze living in the Galilee and Mount Carmel areas sided with the Jews in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence, opted to be part of Israeli society and established themselves in all areas of public life.
But when Israel captured the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967, the Golan Druze refused Israeli offers of citizenship, believing Syria would recapture the plateau.
The Druze communities of Israel, Lebanon and Syria regard themselves as descendants of the Biblical Jethro –who they call Shuaib — the father-in-law of Moses.
They speak Arabic but are not Muslim. In Israel, Druze serve in senior positions in public and military life, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is referred to as the “covenant of blood.”
Do You Love Israel? Make a Donation - Show Your Support!
Donate to vital charities that help protect Israeli citizens and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!
Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight and win the war -- including on the battlefield of public opinion.
Antisemitism, anti-Israel bias and boycotts are out of control. Israel's enemies are inciting terror and violence against innocent Israelis and Jews around the world. Help us fight back!
